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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

meds update number 512

I wrote on this very blog not too long ago that Punkin was doing a good job taking all of his medications and "things" were happy.

Spoke. Too. Soon.

It's hit the fan, ladies and gentlemen. Hit the fan.

He outright refuses to take his Zoloft (Sertraline), which is a liquid and has to be mixed with water. Some days he was taking it, some days not. This concerned me, of course, because I know what it does to my body when I'm not taking my medication regularly -- I get tired, moody, sad, and lethargic.

He's also been "timing out" throughout the day, which means he's sitting away from his classmates and self-stimming until he's brought back to the group again. He interacts appropriately with the class and then eventually chooses to "time out" again.

That had me REALLY worried.

So, when it came time to meet face-to-face with his doctor today (a meeting I set up weeks ago), I had a lot of concerns. And Punkin has the most amazing pediatrician! He is so patient with us. He suggested that we give the Zoloft another try, this time at night. He also suggested that we continue using the Ritalin to see if some of the negative side effects go away on their own with time. And he wrote a prescription for another, smaller dose of Ritalin to be given at 12:30pm to help all of us make it through the afternoon and evening.

I left feeling very relieved. And even though it took about 45 minutes, Punkin drank that Zoloft tonight! I know that his behavior will get REALLY BAD before it gets better, but I think that after a week or two, he'll be fine. Because I'm giving it at night, he can cry all he wants and we won't be late for anything -- except bedtime.

Update: He took it again tonight. I promised him a popsicle in return for drinking the stuff, and he drank a little bit and then spit out the rest. Popsicle DENIED.

Sounds really tough and frustrating! I hope everything with the meds works out soon. I actually have a meds question for you. We just started clonidine - half a pill at bedtime. Apparently in 3-4 days we're supposed to give him the second half, but when? The doc thinks maybe first thing in the morning, but since we are using it mostly for sleep, that seems weird. She also thinks we should eventually move to the patch so Quinn gets a constant dose...but since it's for sleep, I'm not sure that's what we want. How did you give Punkin clonidine when you were using it? Thanks!

At first Dr. Berry-Kravis said to give Punkin a half a pill at night and then 1/4 a pill in the morning, since we were using it both for sleep and ADHD. Well, the morning dose made him so sleepy that he was a mess. He was like a 13 year old girl with PMS. So then she suggested just giving him the 1/2 and the 1/4 (so 3/4) at night and none in the morning. Eventually we moved to an entire pill at night. (The pill was 0.10mg). I'm obviously not a doctor, but I would think giving it all at night would be most beneficial. I still saw positive behavior changes the next day, even though he wasn't getting meds in the morning. I guess, too, you could ask about giving the second dose at noon or something instead of in the morning and then he would take a nap. Maybe the doc is thinking the patch because she wants to address some of the hyperactivity and sensory issues as well, but I just think he would be too sleepy from it.